Reviews by MusicaleMike:

I had no idea what Soba was before reviewing this beer. According to the all knowing Wikipedia, soba is a Japanese noodle that is made from buckwheat flour. Who knows if they needed the buckwheat flour in noodle form in order to make this beer? I love to see brewers experimenting with ingredients. No freshness date on the 22oz. bottle. Served in a Carlsberg pint glass.

A: Soba ale pours a somewhat hazy deep golden color with very orange hues. There is a nice off-white head which leaves a very modest amount of lace on the side of the glass. The head drops down quickly. Some carbonation is visible through the haze.

S: There is a very unique smell to this beer. Soba? Hops aroma is a mild spicy smell, accompanied by a sweet malt smell. In fact there is a very sugary smell, reminiscent of rock candy, much like FFF Rabid Rabbit.

T: Light "zesty" flavor, like the bottle claims. I can definitely taste the soba, even though I have never tasted soba alone. Behind the soba flavor lies a very well-balanced ale. Sweet (caramel) malt and floral hops. "Wheat"-like flavor in the aftertaste.

M: Light bodied, with a spritzy carbonation. This beer is very crisp and dry. I think it works very well for this beer, which seems to be striving for a very drinkable, unique cuisine beer.

D: Like I said, one of this beer's main attractions id its drinkability. This is a delicious beer and is very much worth a second try, if not a position in the regular rotation.

This brew pours a very nice sunset color with a minor head with no real retention. The lacing is scant. The soba ale smells of sweet malts and some graininess. The taste was overly sweet with no real outstanding flavor characteristics detected. The mouthfeel was a little thin for my taste and was an overall average experience. The lingering "skunkiness" is subtle but unpleasant none the less.

Taste: toasted malt, grains, pear, a touch of apple and hops--towards the end

Mouthfeel: sweet, medium bodied, and moderate carbonation

Drinkability: One of my favorites from Rogue just because it tastes different from anything else I have ever had. This has a very interesting and complex taste for the style. I would gladly have this again...point for originality.

Arriving several weeks after the main Rogue brewery release at the LCBO was Morimoto Soba Ale. A quick look at the Rogue website reveals that this brew was prepared in consultation with Iron Chef Morimoto, who was the third "Iron Chef Japanese" on the tv show.

*Note: the Ontario bottles, which require alcohol content to be clearly labelled, have a sticker that says "Light Beer, 3.8% ABV." Not sure why there is a discrepancy; this certainly tastes more like 3.8% rather than 4.8%.

Poured into a nonic. A splendid golden hue, very bright, with a ridiculously high fluffy head that will not quit. Lively visible carbonation at first. Huge patches of lacing. There seems to be something about buckwheat/soba, as every brew I've had with buckwheat in the recipe seems to have pretty rockin' head retention.

Nose is pleasant, but one dimensional. Buckwheat, nuts, a tiny whiff of west coast hoppage. Potent, enjoyable, but not much to it.

At first I really didn't dig this brew, as I found it tasted to me like an above-average light lager. But the nuts and buckwheat flavors started to make a stronger appearance as the beer warmed a touch, giving the brew a nice full flavor profile. Some citrus and saltiness notes as well. Creamy, medium bodied, mild carbonation. Would have preferred a bit stronger carbonation to cut through the thickness, but it's not bad.

It's hard to give beers like this proper credit, considering how often we tip our caps to robust porters/stouts and potent IPAs. True, I found Rogue's hoppier fare to me far more personally appealing. But this brew had its own unique character which really grew on me by the time I neared finishing the bomber. It has a simple, nutty flavor that is several cuts above your normal light ale/lager fare, which would go well on a hot day and probably pairs nicely with Japanese cuisine, far better than the standard Japanese rice lagers most sushi restaurants carry. I mean really, who's going to argue with the Iron Chef?

A: This beer is a nice muddy golden color with a nice white head, that is leaving some great lacing.

S: Smelled like a generic Asian beer, but it had a few other hints of fruit and bitterness.

T: Taste was nearly off the charts. I found myself wanting to drink more and more. The smell that I had gotten from the original pour was begging to be searched more, and once I allowed it to rest on my tongue I had some nice quality notes of sweet and bitterness with an almost milky quality, which leads me to:

M: The mouthfeel for this beer was perfect. It wasn't to watery and it wasn't too full, the milkiness that I found was after the beer had a chance to dance on my tongue.

D: This beer was outstanding... if I wasn't a poor college kid, I'd reach for it nearly every-time.

Overall, I'd suggest this with a nice pairing of a lighter meal, sushi, fish, etc. Best of luck in your findings, and as always:

Morimoto Soba, bottle. Poured light amber, hazy, with minimal head. Wheaty, citrus nose with some sourness attributed to the buckwheat. Taste is very light and clean, with a little bite. Didn't really taste the toastiness, but got a lot of the grain. A subtle, good brew.

I have this all the time at Origami, a local sushi joint. It goes well with the food. It's bright gold with a moderate cream colored foam cap. Light malts and fruit on the nose while on the palate there is also a nutty flavor and tropical fruit and a suspicion of white wine. It's light and refreshing and easy to drink.